Study Buddies
by waterwingeddove
Summary: Klavier makes a proposal after Ema failed the forensics exam yet again that leads to a bit of drama. [Post-AJ, Pre-SoJ] [Klavier x Ema]


To all those who worked with her, it was obvious that Ema was a very moody person. She throws her snackoos at people and is sure to be as snarky as possible when talking to her colleagues. That was simply a common occurrence, and everyone had grown used to it. But today was different than normal. Rather than Ema simply just being moody and annoyed, she was filled with true anger, as Klavier would be soon to find out.

Klavier arrived at the crime scene completely oblivious to Ema's shift in mood initially, so he approached her as he normally would, "Guten Morgen, Fräulein." He said with a smooth tone, "Could you by any chance get me up to speed with what happened?"

Ema placed her hands on her hips and turned her head away, refusing to even lay eyes on the glimmerous fop, "Ask someone else. I'm busy."

"I'm afraid they told me to come to you. You are the most knowledgeable of the bunch, if I do say so myself–"

"Oh, shut up, will you?!" Ema snapped, growling through clenched teeth, "I said I'm busy! _Make them_ tell you if they won't do it themselves, the lousy lot!"

Klavier was taken aback by that, and he blinked a few times to recompose himself. His flirtatious and smooth act was dropped completely though, and this time he tried sounding a lot more genuine, "I… Is everything alright with you? You sound quite upset…"

Ema clenched her jaw and averted her gaze to the ground, "…I'm not talking about this with you. Don't you have a case to worry about? Yeah, focus on that instead of pestering me." She spun on her heel and walked off, leaving Klavier in the dust.

Klavier ran a hand through his hair out of worry and glanced around. Ema was walking towards a pretty isolated spot of the bank the crime scene was in, so Klavier figured maybe he could get her to open up if it was just the two of them and not a whole squad of forensics guys & police officers around. He jogged over to catch up with her as she rounded a corner into the tellers' area off to the side of the counter. People from on the opposite side of the counter couldn't see inside… It seemed like a good spot.

"Fräulein! Please, wait up for a second!" Klavier called, and when he rounded that corner, he spotted Ema leaning against the wall and clearly exasperated.

"Can't I just have two seconds to myself _without_ you bothering me?" Ema groaned, crossing her arms and throwing her head back.

Klavier's eyebrows furrowed in sympathy, "I promise I'll get out of your hair quickly, Fräulein–"

"And could you stop calling me that?! Just saying 'Ema' or 'Detective' is fine, you know." Ema's shoulders sagged and her voice lost its bite, "In fact, you're probably gonna call me Detective forever at this rate…"

Klavier tilted his head out of confusion. Suddenly the pieces started to come together in his head and he was beginning to figure out just what the problem was, "The results from the exam came back, didn't they…?" Klavier frowned and swallowed, "And you've been working so hard, too… I'm sorry, Fr–" He caught himself and shook his head, " _Ema_."

Ema sighed bitterly, wrapping her arms around herself, "I don't know how many times I can keep failing yet manage to pick myself up afterwards… This is taking it out of me."

"You can't give up on your dreams, though." Klavier took on a stern expression, "I know you can pull this off. I can even help you study if you so wish. I'm not gonna let you settle for less than you deserve."

Ema glanced Klavier over for a moment then rolled her eyes, "I didn't take you for the kind of guy to make a move on a girl when she's down… Should've expected it from you, though."

Looking confused for a moment, Klavier soon gazed off to the side and frowned, "…If that's what you see in me, then I'm sorry to make you feel that way. I honestly only want to help you, Ema. No ulterior motives or anything. I know I do my fair share of teasing, but I mean this." He grinned a bit, "I promise I'm a good study-buddy. My roommate and I at the academy would've never passed the bar if we were studying on our own."

Ema appeared very conflicted towards the offer, and she stared at Klavier for a few moments before hanging her head and letting out another sigh, "…Fine. But if you even so much as make one pass at me, it's over."

Klavier's grin widened, but he had to catch himself before he ended up replying with, 'Cool! It's a date!' Ema walked past him, but stopped when she reached his side.

"Oh, and you're bringing the snackoos." She quipped, quirking a brow and showing a hint of a smile.

"Why, of course." He ran a hand through his hair and smirked, "Maybe I can even work on those 'Golden Snackoos' you've talked about as well."

Ema snickered and motioned for Klavier to follow, "Come on, fop. Isn't there a case you need to be brought up to speed on?"

Klavier nodded, "That's more like it!"

* * *

It was a few weeks and many late-night study sessions until the eve of Ema's next exam date was nigh. The night before, Klavier was sitting on his desk, a guidebook in his lap, and he was going through the practice questions in the back and keeping track of Ema's correct answers. They were nearly finished. There was only one question left.

"Achtung, Ema… This is it. You've done good so far. Think you can handle one last question?" Klavier asked.

Ema was spinning around in a rolling chair, but she immediately stopped and scooted closer to Klavier, determination written on her face, "I think I'm ready… Let's do this!"

"That's the kind of enthusiasm I like!" Klavier grinned a bit before glancing down at the book, "Okay… What are the five basic tasks of crime scene investigation, and what do they entail?" Immediately afterwards, he closed the book and set it aside, leaning forward with his hands placed together in front of his face.

Ema let out a shaky breath, "The first step is Interview…which is to interview the first officer at the scene or the victim if they're alive…and that's to ascertain the 'theory' behind the case." She looked at Klavier, trying to see if she was doing it right.

Klavier just nodded, "Go on."

"The next step is to Examine, which is to see if the 'theory' from before is substantiated by the evidence at the scene…"

Klavier started to grin, which gave Ema the courage to keep going.

"Then there's the Photograph step, which is to take pictures of the scene as a whole and then individual pieces of evidence… The Sketch step is next, where you identify exactly where everything is and demonstrate the layout of the crime. The last step is the easiest, which is to–" Ema stopped abruptly. It felt like she was drawing a blank. She scratched the top of her head, "which is to… um…I… I don't know! I can't remember!"

"Ema." Klavier placed his hand on Ema's shoulder to help calm her down, "Take it easy and think it over for a moment, ja? What's the only thing you're missing? Think on your experience in being a detective… What comes last?"

Ema wracked her brain for answers, trying to think back to how her cases go. Her memory was failing her at that point; the only thing that was standing out to her was how she'd bicker all the time with Klavier, "I… I…"

" _Ema_." Klavier leaned down a bit to meet her eye. He was grinning. He hadn't given up on her yet, "You're so close, so come on. It's your favorite thing in the whole world. _What else is done at a crime scene?_ "

"My favorite thing in the whole world…?" Ema blinked a few times, and suddenly it clicked, "Oh! It's running the tests! The Process phase!"

Klavier laughed to himself and rested his chin in his hand, "Very good. So, do you wanna hear how you did?"

"I mean, that's the entire reason why we're doing this. Just be gentle with it." Ema leaned back into the chair, letting out a breath to steel herself.

"Well, I gotta say… I'm a little disappointed by this." Klavier laced a dramatic sigh in with his words.

Ema's eyes widened. She could've sworn she did at least average on the test, "You can't be serious." She blinked, before throwing her head back, "Ugh, I knew this would be a waste…!"

Klavier wagged his finger, "Wait just a second, Ema. You didn't let me finish. I'm disappointed because at this rate, I'm going to lose my star detective partner to the forensics team." He grinned, "You got a hundred percent. Not a single answer was wrong."

Immediately upon hearing how Klavier duped her, Ema punched him in the shoulder out of annoyance. When she processed it more in her head though, she warmed up a bit and smiled widely, "A hundred percent… Oh my gosh! I-I can't believe it!"

"You better believe it, Ema. Tomorrow, you're gonna be a certified member of forensics. I just know it." He seemed to hesitate for a moment, knowing he may just be overstepping bounds, but he threw caution to the wind and just asked, "Say… Would you object if I came along with you when you take the exam? I'd like to see my star detective off when you finally pass."

Ema threw a snackoo at his head before crossing her arms and letting out a huff. She turned her head away, unable to meet his eye, "Pff… F-Fine. Come along. See if I care."

Klavier frowned a bit at first at her defensiveness, but he at least managed to smile at the fact she would let him join her, "I'll see you then, liebling." He pushed himself off the desk and kneeled down by the arm of the chair Ema was in, getting towards her level, "I meant what I said, you know. You're going to rock it tomorrow. You got this."

Ema gradually came to look at Klavier, and after a little while, she smiled back, "…Thanks, Klavier. For all the help."

Klavier smirked and ran a hand through his hair, "My pleasure.~" And then he winked.

Ema snackoo'd him for that.

* * *

Klavier walked into his office where Ema was waiting, carrying a manila envelope in his hand. He got the results back, and handed the sealed packet over to her. Ema took it with shaky hands, and she let out a breath to calm herself. This was it. She only hoped she did well enough.

Klavier stood at Ema's side, and he placed his hand on her shoulder, "No matter what happens, just know that there's always next time–"

"Shhh!" Ema cut him off, "Don't jinx it!"

Klavier just stayed silent and watched as Ema opened the envelope. He couldn't help be nervous for her too, especially with how hard they worked together…

"Dear Ema Skye…" She read aloud, "Your exam and other materials have been processed… and with great joy the county of Los Angeles would like to inform you that you have met all of the qualifications necessary to become a crime scene investigator!" Ema nearly squealed out of joy, "I passed! I finally passed!"

Klavier grinned widely, the excitement becoming contagious, "Ah, that's fantastic! I'm happy for you, dear Ema!"

The pure excitement and relief at finally passing had messed with Ema's inhibitions, and without even thinking about it, she threw down the envelope on Klavier's desk and placed her hands on his face, pulling Klavier in for a kiss. Klavier's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't object or pull away. Soon enough, Ema realized what she had just done and she instantly stepped back, visibly mortified by what just happened.

"I-I…I…" Ema stammered, hand over her mouth, "T-That never happened! I-I don't know what I was thinking!"

Klavier was still surprised, but after blinking a few times he managed to utter out, "Ema… I–"

"No!" Ema held a finger up, "I don't want to hear it!" She looked around in a panic, "I…I gotta get out of here…" She said in an exasperated tone before rushing to the door and slamming it behind her as she left.

"Ema, wait! Please!" Klavier called after her, but to no avail. He heard the door slam and he grimaced as a result, hand ghosting over his lips. His eyes then wandered down to the papers on his desk; it looked like Ema left them when she darted off. Klavier gathered them up and put them back inside the envelope to give them back when he had the chance.

* * *

Ema avoided Klavier at every chance she got. She couldn't face him after what had happened, whether it be because she was dreading his imminent teasing or because she was angry at herself for letting her excitement get the better of her. She figured that if she simply buried her nose in work that she would not be left alone with her thoughts, and she could just ignore the entire thing. Even if deep down she knew she couldn't run from it forever, it didn't change the fact that Ema was utterly disappointed when it confronted her head-on with a smile on its face.

"Oh, Fräulein!~" That voice called out for her. Ema froze up that instant.

She was kneeling by a body and examining it when he arrived not even a moment too soon. Ema swallowed harshly and stood up, still keeping her eyes on the body and not daring to look at Klavier even once. Klavier walked over to Ema's side and stood way closer than Ema would have liked, even if he was a good foot or so away. He wasn't completely absent from the crime scene, so he was too close for Ema's comfort.

"Enjoying your new job away from me, Fräulein? I miss you already." Klavier had a smug look on his face and his hands on his hips. He was leaning down and closer to her, and unlike normally, Ema was finding it hard to stand her ground against him. She was just looking anywhere other than him.

"…It's fun." Ema replied, coughing a bit out of nervousness. She lacked the bite she always had when Klavier put on this flirty act, now just being completely flustered rather than being annoyed. Granted, her lack of bitterness was also because after having spent so much time with him alone while they were studying, Ema realized that his flirty front was just something he put on when in front of others, and that he was actually really sweet when by himself. The sheer embarrassment and butterflies she felt in that moment though were simply her own fault for not being able to come to terms with that stupid thing she did a few weeks ago.

Klavier closed his eyes and let out a pleasant sigh, "I must say, that forensics band around your arm does fit you perfectly. It ties the whole outfit together."

Ema's gaze flickered over towards him for a moment, but she couldn't keep her eyes on him any longer than that, "…Thanks."

Some of the others nearby had taken note in this dramatic shift, noticing how the terrifying Ema Skye wasn't throwing everything on hand at Klavier to get him to shrink away, but that she was now the one trying to shrink away instead.

Placing his thumb and index finger on Ema's chin to guide her head to face him, Klavier leaned in to whisper something that only she could hear, "…I think we should talk soon, and clear some things up." His voice went without the smug, prideful tone he had while talking otherwise, making the genuineness of his statement clear.

He pulled back shortly after that, that façade of his back on display as he stared at her, "Think about my offer, will you, Fräulein? It'll do us some good, after all.~" While he appeared to be only flirting to the rest, from close up Ema could see him swallow and the hint of concern written in his expression.

Ema reached into her back of snackoos as Klavier walked away, and she hurled some at the back of his head. He was putting so much effort in keeping up appearances, so she knew she had to try as well, "Leave me alone, would you?! I'm working here!"

Klavier couldn't help but grin a little when he felt the snackoos hit him in the head. He felt a lot more confident in the fact that things will turn out fine after all of this.

* * *

At the end of the day, past normal office hours, Ema made her way down to Klavier's office even though every voice in her head was telling her not to. She stopped when she was directly in front of Klavier's door where she could hear soft guitar playing coming from the other side, and she pursed her lips and glanced at the nameplate. Her eyebrows furrowed out of determination and she opened the door, stepping inside of Klavier's office.

Klavier looked up when he heard someone enter, and he smiled upon seeing it was Ema, "Heh. I didn't think you'd turn up…"

"Honestly… I didn't think I would either." Ema walked right up to where Klavier was sitting on his desk with a guitar in hand. She ran her thumbs over the pads of her fingers in a fit of nervousness, but she balled her fists to try and force confidence, "But I need to get this whole mess solved one way or another. I can't take it anymore."

Klavier set his guitar aside and looked Ema over, concerned, "…What happened the last time you were here is really bothering you, huh? Well, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't make much of it. We all do weird things in the heat of the moment, ja?"

"You know, I thought it was about that at first too, but now that I think about it, it's really not." Ema let out a deep exhale, rubbing her temple, "…I'm conflicted. On one hand, I don't like you…and on the other, I really, really do. And then I _do_ regret what happened a few weeks ago, yet I also _don't_."

Klavier raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything just yet. Ema still looked like she was wracking something over in her mind, like she was only now reflecting on everything that's happened since she doesn't have any other option in front of Klavier.

Ema's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head to herself, "…To make things even _more_ complicated, I don't even think I ever disliked you in the first place! I mean, you annoyed me a lot when we first met, but then the whole mess with your brother and your bandmate went down, and I started to feel _sorry_ for you! Your flirty act still annoyed me, but I didn't let it get to me as much, and then the whole study-buddy thing happened… I started to see that you, the _real_ you, wasn't so bad…" She let out an activated groan and slammed her hands on the desk on either side of where Klavier was sitting. She lifted her gaze, finally looking him in the eye, "You're _confusing_ me…"

Leaning back to create more distance between the two of them, Klavier looked a little shocked at the revelation and took some time before he replied, "Well, huh…"

Ema lowered her chin, looking at Klavier with a confused expression, "…What is that supposed to mean?"

Klavier visibly had an idea surge in his mind, and he tilted his head and glanced down at Ema with a hint of a reassuring grin on his face, "I may just have the fix to your little dilemma. Now, you have to promise me you won't try and punch me or throw anything at me when I do it… That sound good to you?"

Ema gulped at first, catching onto his plan. She didn't object though, and she just nodded her head, "…Go ahead."

Eyes studying Ema's face for a moment, Klavier spotted a few strands of hair of her bangs out of place, and he gingerly brushed them out of the way and behind her ear before resting his hand on her cheek. Ema could feel her cheeks heating up and she bit her lip to contain herself; she wished he would stop teasing her like this and just get on with it already. At that moment, Klavier finally leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers and placing his other hand on her cheek. Ema closed her eyes and pushed back, hand snaking around to the back of his neck to pull him closer, but nearly as soon as she did, Klavier slowly parted from her and shot her a grin.

"You still confused?" He asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.

Ema shook her head, gaze flickering back and forth between Klavier's eyes and lips, "Not one bit…"

Then Ema grabbed the lapels of his blazer, pulling him back in for another round.


End file.
